Twenty-five years ago this week, Comic Shop News
#1 first appeared. When we published that premiere issue, a
black-and-white eight-page tabloid, we were optimistic that comic shops
across the country would agree with us that informed readers make
enthusiastic supporters of the art form that we all love. Our goal, both
then and now, was a simple one: we wanted to keep comic shop customers
informed about upcoming projects from their favorite publishers and
creators—and hopefully, to introduce them to new creators and publishers
at the same time. We've always realized that the industry thrives
because of those readers like you who visit their friendly neighborhood
comic shops week after week, so we wanted to offer participating
retailers a way of sharing information with those customers.

Comic Shop News has always been a produced for fans of comic books, by fans of comic books. Our love of the medium inspired us to launch CSN
back in 1987, and it's just as strong today. We've seen many changes in
the past 25 years—changes in publishers, in creators, in characters,
and in the physical format of the material that we love to read—but the
art form itself remains just as vibrant today as it was then.

We've always said that, if you like Comic Shop News,
you should thank your retailer—and that's more true today than ever
before. Without the support of comic shops across the US and in select
comic shops around the world, CSN wouldn't
exist. We appreciate the support that they've shown us over the
years—and we also appreciate the support of the publishers, the
creators, and our readers.

Thanks
for 25 wonderful years—and we look forward to 25 more! Return with us
now to those thrilling days of yesteryear and enjoy reading Comic Shop News #1.